Petticoat Creek Conservation Area (Waterfront Trail)

A quick climb up the escarpment from the Lakefront down below and somehow ended up into a residential area, right about here  .  Didn't take long before a familiar sign was spotted and back onto the Waterfront Trail.  A few minutes away, an old wooden painted sign on top of a fencepost, says "Petticoat Creek Conservation Area".  Here you are a ways from the beach but instead atop of the escarpment looking out onto Lake Ontario.  This particular stretch will take you eastward from Rouge Hill to Frenchman's Bay (now entering into western Pickering).  This portion of the trail is well maintained with beautiful lawns and gardens and resembles very much the beautiful garden landscapes I've seen in photographs from my grandmother's scrapbook from Ramsgate, England.  This is the stuff dreams are inspired by, and I don't think in retrospect my photos have done it justice.  

Followed the trail to the Beachfront Park.  Back again for some further adventures.

Rouge Hill Park and Trail (part of Waterfront trail)

The Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail stretches along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence river.  It starts somewhere in southwestern Ontario from Niagara to Grimsby, then moves northeast from Hamilton to Toronto, Pickering to Port Hope, and Coburg to Quinte West.  Further northeast still, it continues from Belleville to Napanee, southeast Kingston to Brockville, and finally northeast to Quebec.

This particular point of the Waterfront Trail starts from the Rouge Hill Park and takes you into an area of lush trees and forest valleys.  Duck, geese, and other water fowl and swamp creatures inhabit this area and co-exist with fisherman, boatman, swimmers, and nature lovers. 


A snake shedding its skin, and leaving it on top of a wooden post gives you an example of some of the things you'll see.  This portion of the Waterfront Trail has paved walkways and easy access to the beach.  But who wants easy? Going off the trails into the woods make for far more interesting adventures and it wasn't look before more private beach areas were discovered!  Abandoned and forgotten, most likely due to the Pickering Power Plant off into the distant horizon this portion of beachfront had picnic benches buried in time, and debris littered the area from pop cans to street signs.

After some quiet discoveries and taking some time to take in the beauty of the Lake, we're back on the tried and true trail continuing eastward towards the Petticoat Creek Conservation Area.

Hermitage Cascade-Ancaster

I wanted to add a post regarding the Hermitage Cascade which is worth going to see while you are exploring the Ruins.

The Hermitage Cascade is one of the 126 discovered waterfalls in the Hamilton area.  She is about 4 metres high, but still lovely, especially after a heavy rainfall. 

As you can see from my pictures, the flow was not that full.  The waterfall is located just behind the gatehouse at the Hermitage Ruins.  If you are interested in reading more about how the infamous gatehouse at Hermitage Ruins, please see Hermitage ruins on this blog.  

Hermitage Ruins-Ancaster

 The day was perfect, but exploring the Hermitage Ruins in Ancaster had me whispering through the wrought iron gates, what happened here?  You could feel the loneliness of the place, even before learning of it's history, the Ruins are aptly named.  

In 1830, at this very spot, there lived a Reverend named George Sheed who built his home here.  Unfortunately he never lived to see his dream come true of ministering his own church because he died before it was finished.  In 1833, a Greek man named Otto Ives along with his wife and beautiful niece took over the property and moved in.  They had hired a coachman named William Black, who fell in love with the niece.  Unfortunately Mr. Ives was a man of status and connections, and therefore denied William permission to marry his niece.  Back in those days, it was important to maintain a certain status and it was considered unwise to marry someone with no money.  As you can imagine, this broke Williams heart.  The devastating reality hit him so badly that he had gone to the gatehouse and hung himself.  :( The next morning when William was supposed to bring Mr. Ives and the niece to town, the carriage never arrived.  Minutes later screams were heard from the coach house where they found Williams cold, body dangling from the rafters.

What makes this story even more heart breaking is that in this era, when someone took their own life, they weren't given a proper burial, because it was considered a sin.  So poor William was given a shallow grave at the nearest crossroads of the mansion.  It is because of this sad tale, that the area is so popular for paranormal activities.   The paranormal society claims that you can hear William crying or seeing him wandering the grounds, sometimes alone or with a woman by his side.  Well I don't believe in that sort of thing, but that doesn't mean I don't believe that others do.  They have their right to believe this, just as I do to not believe.  I just find that his life and the way he died horribly sad. 

The mansion had passed a few more hands and in 1855, Mr. George Brown Leith bought and sold 10 acres to his daughter and her husband 10 years later.  In 1901, Georges youngest daughter Alma Lauder took over the estate.  Alma loved the home so much, she never left it and even after a house party left the house in ruins in 1934, Alma refused to leave the home she loved.  She died at 87 years old, and once again Paranormal activists believe her spirit is still roaming the property.  The only remains of the estate to this day is the old gatehouse and the ruins of the original home.